My clients come from all different sectors including tech, law, finance, construction, education, and politics. Learning about the challenges they face on their career path, and helping them to overcome them, keeps me inspired and hopeful about the future of women in the workplace. But there are some things that are hard to handle, and one of them is downright heartbreaking. It’s the way that women struggle with showing up in the workplace as experts in their field
There are many factors that contribute to how we navigate the professional systems around us. Women are generally not socially conditioned to put our expertise front-and-center. Even if we want to, the gender imbalance of experts in our culture can make it hard to locate inspiring examples of women who are at the top of their game. Sexist work environments can make women feel too vulnerable to risk drawing attention to our skills, knowledge, and expertise. Man of my clients have spent most of their career keeping their heads down and working around the clock, without any boundaries around their mental or physical health, hoping that their hard work will “speak for itself”.
I hope you already know that is NOT a viable career strategy! You have to draw the right kind of attention to your work, and stand by it, at every stage of your career. Especially if you’re on a management/leadership track, or have already achieved a high-level role, it is crucial that you can represent your work, and yourself, in a way that builds trust and confidence with those around you.
Here are 4 tips for leading with your expertise:
Recognize the expectations of a higher-level role: once you achieve this kind of position you are expected to show up as an expert, with full confidence and faith in your own abilities. Get used to pushing your ideas and opinions into the center of the dialogue, and be prepared to defend them robustly. Even if your hypothesis turns out to be wrong, an expert always has the courage of their convictions. You can always pivot quickly with new information, and incorporate it into your project going forward.
Show your work in an impactful way: don’t make the mistake of “never letting them see you sweat!” Women’s hard work is too often overlooked or dismissed. When you make a project presentation, include one slide that briefly outlines your research path, and a small overview of the journey to your conclusions. Be careful not to reveal unique resources that give you a competitive advantage, but you can include the insights you gained from them. This is a crucial piece that I create with my clients who need help on their work presentations.
Present your game-changing ideas regularly: Experts are defined by their expertise. Often the best game-changers come from questioning iron-clad assumptions, and taking a different approach to them. What do you see, hear, and feel is coming next in your industry? Use your skills and abilities to do some trend-spotting, and make some projections for how your company could stay ahead of the curve. Present your ideas in a strong, compelling pitch deck, and be prepared to answer intense questions.
Remember that “less is more” in professional communication: Over-explaining and over-correcting can have the effect of weakening your points and arguments. Stay calm and lead with simple facts that back up your argument. Treat your words as if they carry weight, because they do.
I advise my clients to get comfortable with pushback on their expertise. Friction is a sign of influence, as others work through your challenges to their assumptions, and come to appreciate your unique perspective on the task(s) at hand. Resist the urge to take care of anyone’s feelings! Trust that they are adults who can handle their own emotions. Professional conduct is standing strong in your own integrity, and allowing others to do the same.
Please contact me with questions, or if you’d like to book a group “Power Voice for Career Women” training for the women in your workplace.